The Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE) has revealed that La Liga players will strike for the first two weekends of the season.
Players want a wage guarantee fund for when clubs become insolvent, an all-too frequent problem in Spain, with Levante and Hercules struggling to pay staff members in recent years and Real Zaragoza applying for administration this summer, which is a common occurrence particularly in the Segunda Division.
Flanked by the likes of Iker Casillas, Xabi Alonso, Carles Puyol, and David Albelda, AFE president Luis Rubiales announced that enough was enough for an issue that blights the smaller clubs in what is arguably football’s top league.
“We are unanimous and firm in our decision to call a strike,” Rubiales said. “All the players in the Primera and Segunda Division support this decision. The competitions will not start until a new agreement between the league and the players has been signed. We are behind all of Europe in this matter. The current situation is very lamentable. We are not asking for more money, but want contracts to be respected. All the players deserve the same treatment, regardless of the team they play for.”